Abstract: Quasi--stellar objects (quasars) located behind nearby galaxies provide an
excellent absolute reference system for astrometric studies, but they are
difficult to identify because of fore- and background contamination. Deep
wide--field, high angular resolution surveys spanning the entire area of nearby
galaxies are needed to obtain a complete census of such quasars. We embarked on
a program to expand the quasar reference system behind the Large and the Small
Magellanic Clouds, the Magellanic Bridge, and the Magellanic Stream, connecting
the Clouds with the Milky Way. Hundreds of quasar candidates were selected
based on their near--infrared colors and variability properties from the
ongoing public ESO VISTA Magellanic Clouds survey. A subset of 49 objects was
followed up with optical spectroscopy. We confirmed the quasar nature of 37
objects (34 new identifications), four are low redshift objects, three are
probably stars, and the remaining three lack prominent spectral features for a
secure classification; bona fide quasars, judging from their broad absorption
lines are located, as follows: 10 behind the LMC, 13 behind the SMC, and 14
behind the Bridge. The quasars span a redshift range from z~0.5 to z~4.1. Upon
completion the VMC survey is expected to yield a total of ~1500 quasars with
Y<19.32 mag, J<19.09 mag, and Ks<18.04 mag.